The head of Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in Elmer has been hired as the new executive director of the South Orange Performing Arts Center.

Mark Packer announced yesterday he is leaving Appel Farm after 29 years — and 24 as executive director of an organization recognized for its summer camp, annual summer music festival and concert series. He is expected to take the reins of the 415-seat South Orange venue in March.

“I am ready for something new, and I’m excited about a new challenge,” Packer said. “It’s an exciting opportunity. I think I can really make a difference.”

Packer replaces Michael Bollinger, who was fired in August after less than two years as head of the financially struggling institution.

Packer, the former president of ArtPride/NJ, the statewide advocacy organization, will be the fourth executive director in the arts center’s six-year history. He said he is not concerned by the turnover because the organization’s plans to build a singer-songwriter series and improve its arts education programming are aligned with his skills.

“Things have changed a lot at SOPAC. I think they are positioned to take off,” Packer said. “They have their fiscal house in order, a dedicated staff who have stuck through thick and thin.”